The idle art piece "facsimile" pictured Sept. 3, 2014 at Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif. The art piece, which was installed in 2003, is a large screen on the outside of the center that is meant to travel along a track and project images it shoots of the inside. "Facsimile" was funded through a city ordinance that mandates two percent of the total cost of public projects be dedicated to â€œart enrichment". It has only been operational for a few weeks of it's decade-long lifespan. less

The idle art piece "facsimile" pictured Sept. 3, 2014 at Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif. The art piece, which was installed in 2003, is a large screen on the outside of the center that is meant to ... more

The back the art piece "facsimile", a large idle LED screen, can be seen Sept. 3, 2014 through the window at Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif. The art piece, which was installed in 2003, is a large screen on the outside of the center that is meant to travel along a track and project images it shoots of the inside. "Facsimile" was funded through a city ordinance that mandates two percent of the total cost of public projects be dedicated to Òart enrichment". It has only been operational for a few weeks of it's decade-long lifespan. less

The back the art piece "facsimile", a large idle LED screen, can be seen Sept. 3, 2014 through the window at Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif. The art piece, which was installed in 2003, is a large ... more

The camera of the art piece "facsimile" that is supposed to be used to record images of the inside of the Moscone Center West Sept. 3, 2014 pictured through the window of Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif. The art piece, which was installed in 2003, is a large screen on the outside of the center that is meant to travel along a track and project images it shoots of the inside. "Facsimile" was funded through a city ordinance that mandates two percent of the total cost of public projects be dedicated to Òart enrichment". It has only been operational for a few weeks of it's decade-long lifespan. less

The camera of the art piece "facsimile" that is supposed to be used to record images of the inside of the Moscone Center West Sept. 3, 2014 pictured through the window of Moscone Center West in San Francisco, ... more

The switch for the art piece "facsimile" sits in the "on" position Sept. 3, 2014 at Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif. The art piece, which was installed in 2003, is a large screen on the outside of the center that is meant to travel along a track and project images it shoots of the inside. "Facsimile" was funded through a city ordinance that mandates two percent of the total cost of public projects be dedicated to Òart enrichment". It has only been operational for a few weeks of it's decade-long lifespan. less

The switch for the art piece "facsimile" sits in the "on" position Sept. 3, 2014 at Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif. The art piece, which was installed in 2003, is a large screen on the outside of ... more

A man walks past the idle art piece "facsimile" Sept. 3, 2014 across the street from the Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif. The art piece, which was installed in 2003, is a large screen on the outside of the center that is meant to travel along a track and project images it shoots of the inside. "Facsimile" was funded through a city ordinance that mandates two percent of the total cost of public projects be dedicated to Òart enrichment". It has only been operational for a few weeks of it's decade-long lifespan. less

A man walks past the idle art piece "facsimile" Sept. 3, 2014 across the street from the Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif. The art piece, which was installed in 2003, is a large screen on the outside ... more

The back the art piece "facsimile", a large idle LED screen, can be seen Sept. 3, 2014 through the window at Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif. The art piece, which was installed in 2003, is a large screen on the outside of the center that is meant to travel along a track and project images it shoots of the inside. "Facsimile" was funded through a city ordinance that mandates two percent of the total cost of public projects be dedicated to Òart enrichment". It has only been operational for a few weeks of it's decade-long lifespan. less

The back the art piece "facsimile", a large idle LED screen, can be seen Sept. 3, 2014 through the window at Moscone Center West in San Francisco, Calif. The art piece, which was installed in 2003, is a large ... more

When it was installed in late 2003, the massive public art piece hanging off the side of the Moscone West convention center was hailed as a "marriage of art and technology."

The project, "Facsimile," took nearly seven years to design and more than $1.5 million to build. It was intended to provide a digital window into the city-owned center.

But in the decade it's been looming over Fourth and Howard streets, the video screen has been beset by technical problems and operational glitches - and has never worked for more than a few weeks at a time.

The plan had looked good on paper.

A 15-by-25-foot LED video screen was mounted on twin 100-foot arms, anchored on rails attached to the building's roof. With a camera mounted on the back, the screen was intended to display live images from the second-floor lobby as it traveled slowly across the face of the building.

The movement of the images was supposed to correspond to the movement of the screen, creating the illusion of a transitory window.

The live shots were to be interspersed with pre-recorded scenes of offices and hotel rooms, which the San Francisco Arts Commission described as "a playful deception as to what happens in real time and what is created from the artists' imagination."

Designers' vision

On the back of the display - visible to those inside Moscone West - were four more LED screens, meant to pull text from worldwide news reports and display "into the building's interior a series of filtered dispatches from the world outside the structure."

"Facsimile" could be interpreted in any number of ways, according to its lead designers at the architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro.

"The apparatus could be seen as a scanning device, a magnifying glass, a periscope and as an instrument of deception substituting impostors for actual building occupants and spaces," reads the piece's description on the firm's website.

It can't be any of those things, however, if it doesn't work.

"Unfortunately, 'Facsimile' suffered from technical problems from the outset and has never been operational for more than a few weeks at a time," said Tom DeCaigny, director of cultural affairs for the Arts Commission since 2012.

Other than those few weeks, the piece has sat idle, a blank screen staring across Fourth Street at the Metreon, wheels rusting.

The problems began early. Soon after installation, the LED modules had to be replaced after the screen was accidentally dropped, distorting the colors.

In 2005, the wheels had to be replaced because they screeched. Later, the screen had trouble rounding the corner of the building.

All told, the project cost $1,537,000 and was funded through revenue bonds, which are paid off through profits generated by the convention center.

The piece was commissioned as part of the city's "Percent for the Arts" program, an ordinance mandating that two percent of construction costs for public buildings be allocated for "art enrichment."

Most people who walk past "Facsimile" on a regular basis, though, haven't paid it much attention.

"I kind of thought it was a billboard," said Jamal Bseiso, 54. "But now that I look at it, it looks more like a filter from an air conditioning unit than anything else."

Despite the problems, and a fact-finding investigation by the city attorney, the city never figured out exactly who was to blame for the boondoggle.

Removal recommended

"After years of effort to correct the artwork's operational problems, 'Facsimile' is still not functional," DeCaigny said. "We have determined that it would require a substantial investment of time and money to continue to try to resolve its problems."

The piece's fate now rests with the members of the Arts Commission, who will vote on a recommendation from DeCaigny and his staff to remove the piece in coming months.

Though the public never got to enjoy the work, DeCaigny said, there are lessons to be learned.

"In the future, the Arts Commission will be very cautious when considering large public art installations that rely on advanced technology," he said. "Especially technology that is rapidly evolving, such as the mechanical, LED and video innovations involved with this piece."

What's not working

Issue: A public art project mounted on the side of the Moscone West convention center has been plagued by problems since it was installed in late 2003.

What's been done: Despite numerous repairs and a city investigation into the problems, the piece has never functioned as intended for longer than a few weeks. The San Francisco Arts Commission is recommending its removal.

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